PS, thats a realy nice soldering iron controler, I have the same thing basicaly, looks exactly the same appart from the lable, the Quick 936A, both of coarse are knockoffs of the Hako 936A. either way, this makes spares and tips cheap and easily available. I’ve left mine on overnight without burning out a tip…

#2 – DON’T waste your money on Hakko 936 knock-offs – The real thing is WORTH it! If you want new, buy one from a place like all-spec that has specials regularly. Otherwise, buy one secondhand on eBay. The knockoffs have horrible irons, the handles get so hot at higher temps that you can’t touch them. Hakko models use the same tips, so if you’re a cheapass, get a hakko 936 and buy cheap tips!!! I prefer the nice tips because they last waaaay longer if you take care of them.

I have the SparkFun 936B iron and it works fine, I’ve run it at full temperature for hours and the handle does not get hot at all. The real model number is Atten 936B (that’s what the boards inside are labeled as). I got mine for free on Free Day and it is a very good iron for the price (even at $40) when compared against cheap RadioShack irons that I had been using.

I’m not talking about the April Fools joke – I went to sparkfun’s website and saw the *real* price on a hakko knockoff soldering station – Sparkfun is asking more than the real thing costs!!! I knew their prices were very high for a lot of stuff that they sell, but damn!!!

I have purchased two on eBay in the last year for under $35 each. One came with an iron, one didn’t. No big deal, irons are cheap. The fact of the matter is that sparkfun is asking $79.95 for a crappy knock off of this very model, when you can get the real thing online for $69.99 + S/H!!! That is hilarious. I guess they must get a lot of suckers for them to keep the price that high. It’s a shame if you ask me.